Baragur Ramachandrappa delivered a lecture as part of Kannada Rajyotsava program organized by Kuvempu University at Shankarghatta near Shivamogga on Wednesday. | Photo credit:
Shivamogga
Writer and intellectual prof. Baragur Ramachandrappa said that no university should become sectarian on the pretext of giving space to all kinds of ideas.
Mr. Ramachandrappa made these remarks while attending the Kannada Rajyotsava celebrations organized by Kuvempu University in Shankaarghatta on Wednesday in light of the controversy over a seminar on “Bhagavad Gita and Crime Prevention” held in the university campus.
“We should remain open and at the same time understand different ideas. But when we promote them, we should have a clear position,” he said. “We should listen to everyone. However, people tend to believe lies. Lies sound pleasant to the ears, but truth is cruel. We are in an age that requires evidence for truth, but not for lies.”
Srikanta Kudige, a former Kannada professor, said that the Bhagavad Gita seminar should not have been held in the university campus. “There are reserved places for such debates. The university is not the right place,” he said, adding that it would open a Pandora’s box where other faiths could claim space for debate on similar lines. “There are much more important issues that need to be addressed as a matter of priority,” said Kuvempu University vice-chancellor prof. Sharath Ananthamurthy who presided over the programme.
A seminar on ‘Bhagavad Gita and Crime Prevention’ was held in the college campus on Tuesday in association with Swarnarashmi Trust of Shivamogga and Bhagavad Gita Abhiyana Samiti. Dalit Sangharsha Samiti activists staged a protest against the seminar.
Published – 19 Nov 2025 20:50 IST
